


Strike!

by StarryAutumn



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender, vld - Fandom
Genre: All the Voltron friendships, Bowling Alley AU, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Minor Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 09:23:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryAutumn/pseuds/StarryAutumn
Summary: Lance McClain liked his new job. His friends were his coworkers, the boss was nice, plus, there’s a particularly white-haired regular who kept catching his eye.Lance knew exactly three things about her.1. She bowled under the name “ALSTR”2. The pink letterman jacket she wore showed that she went to the opposing high school in town.3. She was ridiculously, fantastically, beautiful.Allurance Bowling Alley AU! Lots of fluff, minor angst, plus some good old fashioned pining. Grab your shoes and pick out your ball, it’s time for Strike!





	Strike!

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS NOT A FINISHED WORK!!! I just have to figure out how to put that in the tags and such. This will be multiple chapters and is a work in progress! Thank you for reading!

Chapter One

Rule One of working in a bowling alley: Popcorn grease was stubborn. The fake butter plus whatever oil they used to cook the kernels morphed into an alien-like substance that, save some Superman-level strength, would not budge from the floor beneath the industrial-size popcorn machine. Lance scrunched his nose at the sticky, oily, smell and scrubbed harder. He knew that as the rookie member of the team he was stuck with duties like this for a while, but this knowledge didn’t make the task any more enjoyable. Or even tolerable.

The song playing over the loudspeakers changed, switching from a newer song Lance didn’t recognize to a familiar tune that made him grin. He whistled along to the opening strains, then quietly sang along. 

“I never knew that she could dance like this, she make a man wanna speak Spanish…” He shifted his shoulders along to the timing of the music, somewhat enjoying the moment despite said popcorn sludge. Then, something smacked hard into his elbow, to which his response was to pop his head up, which caused a loud “bang” as his skull collided with the underside of the popcorn machine. Lance barely avoided swearing, mostly because he was afraid it would reach the ears of his manager, Shiro. Though the man seemed friendly enough, Lance wasn’t sure he’d given the best first impression by dropping an entire batch of nacho cheese on his first day. Three weeks later, and he still wasn’t sure that the older man had forgotten the incident, so he tried to play it safe.

Lance looked up, clutching the back of his skull to make sure his brains weren’t spilling out of the back, then sighed loudly.

“Hunk, man, what the hell is wrong with you?? You could’ve killed me!” Lance complained, crawling out from his cramped workspace. Hunk, Lance’s best friend and now co-worker, folded his arms over his chest and shrugged his broad shoulders. He nodded his head toward the lanes. 

“I just thought you might want to know that she’s back.” He said, grinning slyly. Lance immediately blushed, then blushed harder because he knew Hunk could see and would inevitably tease him. 

“Awww, look how cute you are! Getting all red!!”

Case and point.

“Shut up.” Lance muttered, though he hid a grin. He pulled off his rubber cleaning gloves and stood, brushing his hand through his hair to double check that it was, at the very least, free of any of that popcorn grease-gunk. He glanced over the few open lanes, his gaze landing on the one where a couple of people stood, entering their names in to start a game. 

Currently struggling to punch in the correct keys (they tended to stick) was the girl that Hunk had been so kind to point out. Long, white hair twisted into some kind of elaborate braid around her head gave her the appearance of having a halo. As far as Lance was concerned, she may as well be an angel, she was so out of his league.

Lance knew exactly three things about her. 

1\. She bowled under the name “ALSTR”  
2\. The pink letterman jacket she wore showed that she went to the opposing high school in town.  
3\. She was ridiculously, fantastically, beautiful.

Lance watched a moment longer, desperately trying to come up with an excuse to go over and talk to her. Even if she was out of his league, this wasn’t known to stop the efforts of Lance McClain. Although, his first interaction with the dark-skinned beauty hadn’t gone well. In fact, you could say that Lance had a knack for bad first impressions because while on his way to fix a malfunctioning pin-setting machine, he’d slipped and fallen, somehow making eye contact with her as he landed on his tailbone. Since then, Lance had found himself reduced to stutters any time she showed up, partially from embarrassment and partially because dammit she was just so pretty. He was determined to have an actual conversation with her, if only to prove that he was of at least an average IQ. 

As Lance stood there, leaning against the counter, he spotted Pidge, another of his coworkers, heading toward the lane with a platter of food. He quickly slid out from behind the counter, swiped the platter out of her hands, then continued on toward the lane. “I’ll take care of this one!” He called behind him. “You can thank me later.” Pidge, unfazed, just rolled her eyes and joined Hunk behind the counter. 

“This should be good.” She muttered, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. Hunk glanced over at her, grinning. 

“Bet you five bucks that he spills something on her.” He said, knowing that while Lance could actually be a pretty suave guy, he tended to lose any control of his limbs when actual feelings got involved. Pidges grinned, her smirk matching Hunks.

“You’re on.”

Lance headed toward the lane, determination set in his face. The alley wasn’t particularly busy, in fact, there were only a couple of other lanes open, so he didn’t have to dodge many people on his way to his destination. He paused only a second to fix his trademark “razzle dazzle” smile on his lips, then stepped into the small gathering area for the lane. “I think someone ordered some nachos here?” He said, glancing around at the whole group but giving his “angel” an especially charming grin. The other person on this lane popped up at his side, snatching up the paper plate of cheesy chips. 

“Ah yes, I’ve been waiting for these. It’s been a while since I’ve had some proper American nachos.” Lance couldn’t quite place the accent, but was more distracted by the large, ginger, mustache that took over much of the thin man’s face. How did someone eat with something like that on their face? Lance was transfixed for a moment, then was drawn out of his concentration by a tinkling laugh. 

“Uncle Coran, it’s only been a month since you’ve been to visit.” The same accent, though it sounded quirky on the orange haired man, sounded positively ethereal on the more feminine voice. Lance practically melted internally, but forced himself to straighten a bit and smile more brightly as the white-haired beauty came toward him to gather the other plate of nachos. She gave him a friendly smile and he returned it with a grin.

“Well, even if it has only been a month, these nachos are the best to break that nacho-less streak.” Lance said, addressing them both but keeping his gaze focused on that brilliant smile. He was rewarded with another small laugh and lowered the serving platter to his side. 

“It’s good to know that we’re getting only the best here, Allura.” Finally. A name. Allura. The orange haired man- Coran- was already halfway through his plate of nachos and didn’t seem to be slowing. 

“We do nothing but the best here at Holt’s Bowling Co.” Lance chimed, giving Allura a small wink as he backed out of the lane.

Looking back, Lance should have known this was going too well for him. As he exited the lane, he failed to notice that someone was trying to walk in, and they bumped into each other, hard. Lance went down and dropped the (luckily empty) platter with a clatter.

“So sorry.” 

Lance looked up, raising an eyebrow at the offender, though he knew that he was also to blame in the collision. Another white-haired stranger was smiling down at him, offering his hand to help Lance to his feet. “I was looking at my phone and didn’t see you.” 

After eyeing the offered hand for a moment, Lance took it and pulled himself up. “No problem.” He said, brushing himself and grabbing the platter. He could feel heat rising in his cheeks though, as this was the second time he’d found himself on his ass in front of Allura. “I’ll get out of your way now. Enjoy your game!” His voice was altogether too cheerful, and he avoided looking at Allura or this newcomer as he sped back toward the counter.

The second he was behind the counter, he dropped to the floor, cradling the platter like a comforting childhood blanket. “Whyyyyyy?” He moaned, ignorant to the exchange of a few bills between his two friends. 

“Well, first of all you’re an idiot.” Pidge said, counting her newly acquired green into her wallet. Lance glared at her over his comfort-platter. She caught the look, sighed and stuck her wallet into her pocket. “You’re overthinking it Lance. Just go talk to her like a normal human being.” 

“But she’s not a normal human being.” He said, thudding his head back against the cupboard. “She’s practically a goddess!” Pidge shrugged as if to say “fair enough” then pushed away from her spot against the wall to help a customer find some shoes. Lance sighed, then looked up at Hunk. 

“C’mon. You’ve got to have something, right? You have a girlfriend.” Lance’s eyes were pleading, and Hunk just sighed, knowing that he couldn’t resist Lance’s puppy-eyed look. 

“All I can say is to just be yourself.” He said, prying the platter from Lance’s arms and adding it to the stack under the counter. “That’s really the only way to find someone you can really be happy with. That’s how it worked out for me and Shay.” 

Lance sat there for a moment longer as Hunk trailed off to the kitchen. While Hunks words made sense, he honestly wasn’t sure how being himself was supposed to help in this situation. Sure, he presented himself as a suave, confident person, but in reality he was just a closet nerd who liked to dance and found himself in far too many awkward situations involving the people he actually had feelings for.

Lance finally let out a long sigh and heaved himself once again to his feet. He’d just have to figure it out along the way, he supposed. No point in stressing over a puzzle he couldn’t put together in five minutes. One more glance over his shoulder at Allura’s lane, then he turned back toward the popcorn machine, grimacing at the thought of staring at that sludge instead of a particularly pretty, white-haired woman. 

•••••••••••••••••••••

Allura grinned as she watched Coran, barely keeping from outright laughing at his ridiculousness. He couldn’t seem to decide how he wanted to take the shot. One moment he was bent over, granny style, then the next second he was… sideways? Allura shook her head, glancing over at Lotor, hoping that he was watching and they could revel in this showcase of hilarity together. 

Nope. He was on his phone.

Allura sighed internally, but just ignored him, turning her focus back on Coran just in time to see him get a spare. She cheered him on, glanced over again at Lotor to see him frowning at his phone, then stood to take her turn. What was she really expecting? This was the new normal.

“Allura?” She paused to look back at her boyfriend. He had his winning “I’m pretty and I know it” grin plastered over his face. The one that, while she was totally aware he used consciously, always swept her under his charming spell. 

“Yeah?” She said, unable to resist the urge to smile back. 

He stood, taking both of her hands, and grinned again. “How is it you’re so beautiful?” He said, tilting his head like a confused puppy. Allura shook her head, rolling her eyes. 

“What is it this time?” She teased, though her heart clenched at the thought that some random thing had come up to challenge their limited time together. 

Lotor ducked his head sheepishly, then glanced back up at her balefully. “It looks like I’m being called in again.” He said, dropping her hands and grabbing his buzzing phone out of his pocket. As he began tapping on the screen, Allura quickly sifted through her feelings, then settled on “being proud of her boyfriend even though this new job left them with barely any time together”. Lotor finished typing and looked up at Allura, that grin in place once again.

“Go on!” She said, forcing a grin onto her face. “I know how important and incredible this job is. I get it.” 

Lotor swept her into a hug, gave her a quick kiss, then scooped up his jacket and shoes. “Thank you so much for understanding.” He said, pulling off the old bowling shoes and sliding on his own, much nicer, boots. “I’ll text you later, and I’ll definitely make this up to you!” He called as he breezed toward the door.

Allura waved after him, an exasperated smile on her face. She was proud of him, she really was, considering how hard he’d worked to graduate high school, and then college before he was twenty, but now, this new job and the fancy title and long work hours… She just wasn’t sure where she fit in anymore.

“Seems like it’s just the two of us now.” Coran had appeared at her elbow, as he had the habit of doing. Allura smiled fondly at her uncle. He could be kind of a goof, but he was also really understanding and knew just what to say. “Why don’t we finish this game then go try some of the other American foods I’ve been missing, eh?” 

Allura nodded. “That sounds great, Uncle Coran.” She said, giving him a quick side hug before heading over to pick up her ball. “I still need to repay you for that last game you won.” 

Coran wiggled his eyebrows. “Is that a challenge I hear?” He said, grabbing his own ball in preparation. “Then it shall be a glorious battle!” He struck a pose, the bowling ball aloft in one hand and the other gesturing dramatically toward it.

Allura laughed, then stepped into her place to take her turn.

*****************

Lance sighed. Then sighed again. Then again.

“Lance, I swear if you don’t stop sighing…”

Lance shot a glare back at Keith, who had just relieved Pidge of her shift. 

“I miss Pidge. She didn’t mind my despair at the situation.” He shot back. 

“At least, she didn’t say so…” Keith muttered.

There was another glare, a rude gesture, then silence between the two boys. Lance continued to gaze over at the only open lane, where Allura and her uncle were celebrating her recent strike. Her hair shone in the yellow light spilling through the glass doors. It was just before sunset, that golden hour where everything turns slightly magical for a time. 

And damn, was this girl magical. 

Lance watched as she twirled under Corans arm, the two doing an obviously choreographed victory dance. She laughed, and Lance’s own lips twitched up into a smile. Her face lit up when she laughed, like the way adding milk to hot chocolate makes it so much richer.

Keith, preoccupied with wiping down the counters, suddenly realized that Lance was actually quiet. He glanced back at him, noticing the way he watched the girl he’d been horrendously pining over. Keith didn’t know much about love and relationships and all that shit, but he knew Lance. And if Lance wasn’t keeping up his usuallt incessant chatter, the boy was gone for this girl. Keith groaned internally. He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. But if it would stop Lance’s annoying pining, (and who was he kidding, he secretly liked the kid and wanted to see him happy) it was worth a shot. 

“Hey, Allura!”

Lance wheeled around, eyes bugging out as Keith waved at the girl. 

“You know her??” He hissed, clutching the counter like it was his last safety line. Keith shrugged.

“We went to the same school before I dropped out.” He said, pushing away from the back counter and standing beside Lance. 

“And you’re just telling me this now?” Lance said incredulously, eyes still the size of bowling balls. “This could’ve saved so much time instead of me making an idiot of myself.” 

“Trust me, you would’ve done that anyway.” Keith said it with a grin, though Lance responded with a side-eyed glare. “Look sharp, she’s coming over.” Lance immediately straightened, hesitated, then draped himself over the counter in some sad attempt to look nonchalant. Keith rolled his eyes, then gave Allura another wave as she got closer. 

“Hey Keith!” She said brightly. “I haven’t seen you in a while.” Keith grinned. He’d liked Allura. She was one of the (very) few people he’d actually somewhat gotten along with in school, and it showed in the fact that he was even talking to her. 

“Yeah, that happens when you drop out of school and go on the road for a year.” He said, only realizing as he said it that it was a slightly awkward way to address his absence. 

Allura didn’t miss a beat, however, and laughed. “We were all wondering if you’d done just that. What, with your fancy motorbike and all.”

Keith was about to ask who this “we” she spoke of was, then realized that Lance, sadly, had begun to shrivel up in what looked like… fear? No, closer to amazement. Maybe a bit of both. Allura noticed his gaze and glanced over at Lance, her face lighting up with recognition.

“Oh! You’re the one who fell earlier. I hope you’re okay!” She said, obviously taking the confused emotion on Lances face for some kind of pain. She showed genuine concern, though, tilting her head to examine Lance’s still-contorted face. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” Lance finally said after a moment of silence. He suddenly snapped out of his “awkward teenage boy” mode to “full flirt” mode. “I’ll just have some minor paralysis in my legs from now on.” He teased, dramatically leaning against the counter as if it was supporting all his weight. 

Allura laughed, rolling her eyes. “I hope this place has decent enough medical coverage to take care of your bills.” She joked back. Lance sighed dramatically.

“No, unfortunately, I’m barely paid enough to buy myself a burger from this here dining establishment after work each night. I even sleep in the back with all the shoes. They make surprisingly comfortable pillows, if a bit smelly.” There was another chuckle from Allura and Lance looked positively thrilled at having made her laugh.

Keith slipped away. Lance would be fine from here. He just needed one interaction with Alluranthat didn’t end in utter embarrassment for him. Keith kept an eye on the two of them as he continued to wipe down the counters. They talked for a minute longer, then Allura returned to her uncle. Lance practically floated over toward Keith, and this time when he sighed it wasn’t quite as annoying as before. 

“We actually talked.” He said dreamily, staring off into the flashing neon lights of the arcade. Keith poked him, shaking his head.

“Don’t go all Romeo on me now. We still have to clean before the evening rush.” He said, shoving a towel and spray bottle of cleaning solution into Lance’s hands. 

“Do what you will, Keith. You can’t bring me down from this high.” Lance said, a little of his normal competitiveness coming though. Keith shrugged.

“Then you get to clean the bathrooms.”


End file.
